The Nerdonomy 3-Level Oscar Challenge

Those who know me (and some who don’t) know that the Academy Awards is the one annual ritual in which I hold the same level of esteem as religious events like Easter, Christmas, and watching a Batman or Superman movie. Ever since I was a kid, the Oscars were an event that I simply couldn’t “take or leave.” Would you “take or leave” your grandmother? Favorite uncle? First born child?

I didn’t think so.

To show you how devoted I am, I was up at 5:30 A.M. PST yesterday to hear the nominations get announced! In light of A.M.P.A.S.’s announcement, I am now in full-blown Oscar Mode.

That being said, how does one prepare for such a sacred event? Fasting? Animal sacrifice? No, there is a much healthier way, and with an absolutely zero percent chance of harming your personal or professional relationships: movie-binging. This is preferably not done alone, so as to avoid the latter from taking place. In order to truly answer the inevitable water-cooler question, “So what’s your picks for the Oscars this year?” One has to have the viewing experience to authoritatively answer that question.

Enter, The 3-Level Oscar Challenge!

You must prepare yourself physically, mentally, and spiritually for what will surely be one of the most taxing exercises ever attempted by modern man! Seriously. It’s intense. I pulled my groin attempting this once; it was painful.

Your challenge is to complete all three levels between yesterday’s announcement of the nominations and the ceremonies on February 24, 5:30 P.M. PST. Here’s the breakdown:

Level 1:

See all Best Picture nominations. Plain and simple. BUT PREPARE YOURSELF! It only goes up hill from here!

Level 2:

Complete Level 1, and then see all of the movies in one of the of the following categories:

All of the Best Animated Feature nominations.

All of the Best Foreign Film nominations.

All of the Best Documentary Feature nominations.

All Best Animated Short/Live Action Short nominations.

No mixing and matching allowed in this level. Exercise strategy. By the way, iTunes makes the short film nominations for both categories available to buy prior to the awards ceremony. You can also see past winners! (Those obviously don’t qualify for the challenge.)

Level 3:

Complete Levels 1 & 2, and see all films that received nominations for Best Actor & Actress (leading and supporting), Best Directing, and Best Screenplay (Both Adapted & Original).

Given that many of these films will cross over multiple categories, it is not as hard as it looks.

Right now you’re probably thinking, “This dude’s insane!” And you’re probably right. I’ve been in and out of therapy for YEARS. But I assure you, this challenge is intense but achievable.

I’ll even give you some incentive: See the movies, and keep your ticket stubs (or in the case of iTunes, screenshots that prove you’ve bought them and watched them). Post pictures of them on this blog. Whoever gets closest or completes the challenge will receive a Nerdonomy T-Shirt of their choosing.

BUT WAIT! There’s more!

If you complete all three levels of the challenge, you get to pitch an idea for an episode of Nerds on Film. We’ll pick the best pitch, and that person gets a guest spot on said episode! How you ask? Why through the magic of Skype!

And there you have it! Now who’s ready to watch movies until their eyes start burning?! Anyone?

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